Swimming pool cover



1959 F. J. SCHIPPERT ET AL 2,870,454

SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed 001:. 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jaryl. law er iziwcfzyaf Jan. 27, 1959 F. J. SCHIPPERT ET AL 0,

SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed Oct. 4, 1954 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United Statesaten 2,870,454 Patented Jan, 27, 1959 SWIMMIYG POGL COVER Florence J.Schippert and'Mary L. Lawser, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 459,938 9 Claims. (Cl. 4 -172)This invention relates to covers for swimming pools designedto excludedirt and foreign matter from the pool during periods when the latter isnot in use.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a swimming poolcover which, by reason of its novel structure, its relative lightness ofweight, and the efficient and relatively simple means provided forholding it in operative position on the pool, and also by reason of itsrelative inexpensiveness, will be more practical than the coversof theprior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover which may bereadily attached to and removed from the swimming pool, this by reasonprimarily of the aforesaid novel attaching means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cover which isreadily adaptable to swimming pools having ladders affording access andegress to and from the pool.

A further object is to provide a cover which, while highly efficient inits primary function of excluding foreign matters from the pool, willnot interfere unduly with visual examination of the pool from exteriorposition.

A stillfurther object is to provide a cover which, by reason of itsnovel structure and mode of attachment is highly adaptable to pools ofany contour or shape.

The invention resides also in certain novel structural details andfeatures hereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a swimming pool equipped with acover made inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views illustratingdetails of the cover structure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in sectional perspective of apart of the pool and of the cover;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a modificationwithin the scope of the invention, and

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of an element of the structure shown inFig. 6.

With reference to the drawings, the pool therein ill'us'trated is ofroughly rectangular shape having rounded corners. In the presentinstance the sides and bottom of the pool are indicated as made ofconcrete, and with reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings it willbe noted that at its upper edge the pool is provided with an inwardlyprojecting rounded coping 11 which terminates at the bottom in anundercut shoulder 12 of less width than the upper rounded portion.Immediately below the shoulder 12 the wall is provided in the presentinstance with a facing 13 of smooth tile which forms a band extendingcontinuously around the wall of the pool at water level. Normally aportion of this band will lie above the level of the water, which levelis indicated in the drawings by the reference numeral 14. This tile bandor its equivalent constitutes a functional element of the means fors'ecuring'in place the cover which constitutes the subj'ect of thepresent invention.

The cover is preferably composedof relatively fine mcshmaterial, andpreferably this mesh material is composed of plastic strands. Manycommercial plastics are suitable for the purpose and mesh of a characterSuit able for the present purpose is available in commerce. A mesh ofthis character has material advantages for pool cover purposes, such asrelative lightness of weight as compared, for example, with a cover ofsheet plastic, or sheeting of organic origin. It has a further advantageover a cover of sheet material in that while affording all necessaryprotection against the entrance to the pool of undesirable extraneousmatter, it still leaves the interior of the pool entirely visible froman external position for inspection purposes. While mesh composed oftextile strands of organic origin, such for example as cord, is alsosuitable for a practice of the invention, the synthetic plastic productis desirable by reason of its impermeability to water and moisture andits substantial absence of absorbency, so that its weight when wet isnot materially greater than its dry weight. This is of particularimportance in the operation of removing the cover from the pool forobvious reasons. We have found also that a mesh material is much morereadily removable from the pool than one of sheet material because ofthe complete absence of any tendency to cling to the surface of thewater, and by reason also of its essential relative lightness of weight.We have found further that plastic mesh material has superior strengthcharacteristics, is more durable, and is relatively resistant to ruptureand better able to retain cover-securing elements of the characterhereinafter described.

In accordance further withour invention, the cover described abovecomprises a peripheral series of suction cups 152 of rubber or othersuitable material having the required characteristics of flexibility andresiliency and impermeability to air. Rubber is the preferred materialby reason of its relative availability and its strength properties whichpermit the incorporation therein of suitable securing elements by meansof which the cups may be secured to the mesh fabric of the cover. Asbest shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the fabric 16 of the cover which,see Fig. 1, is shaped to conform to the contour of the pool, is foldedat the peripheral edge to provide a peripheral band consisting of aplurality of layers of the fabric. One form of folded edge isillustrated at 17 in Fig. 3. Secured to what would normally be the underside of this peripheral band 17 is a flap 18 which may suitably becomposed of the same mesh material as the body 16 of the cover and mayconsist of a multi-ply base portion 1%, which lies against the underfaceof the band 17, and a freely extending loop 21),. also preferablycomprising a plurality of layers of the fabric and porjecting outwardlybeyond the edge of the band 17. This flap 1% may be composed of a stripof the mesh material folded upon itself as indicated in Fig. 3. The flap18 is securely attached to the band 17 by any suitable means, such forexample as stitches 21, and similar stitches 21 preferably also attachto the upper face of the band 17 a binding tape 22 of sheet material,preferably of synthetic plastic, or formed from textile strands such forexample as Orion. This multiple layer band at the periphery of the bodyfabric 16 constitutes a strong and firm anchorage in the plastic coverfor fastening screws 23, preferably of brass or other non-corrodiblematerial, by means of which the suction cups 15 are secured to the edgeof the cover. Grommets 24, preferably of brass or other non-ferrousmetal are secured in conventional manner in the multiple-layer compositeband described above, and these grommets form sockets for reception ofthe screws 23 which are threaded into nuts 25 embedded in the solidbases 26' of the'suction cups. In the opera tion of tightening the screw23, thesuction cup is drawntightly against the inner end of the grommetwhich in assessa- 3 process of attachment has been clamped tightly inthe composite band.

In the cover structure thus produced the suction cups will depend fromwhat would normally be the underside of the cover. in operative positionon the pool, however, the suction cups are applied to the surface of thetile band 13 so that the peripheral edge portion of the cover isdeflected upwardly as also is the loop 2%. This loop is designed inrelation to the coping structure described above so that when the coveris attached to the tile band 13 as described, the loop will extendoutward ly over the tops of the suction cups and into engagement withthe shoulder 12, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, whereby itfunctions effectively to close or seal the ioint between the edge of thecover and the l against passage into the pool of extra: The spacing ofthe suction cups i5 and will be dictated in part by the size and wei htof cover and may vary widely without departure from invention.

Preferably, the cover will be dimensioned so that when it is attached tothe structure of the pool as described above, it will extend withouttension across the latter approximately at the water surface and willlie in the mid-areas of the pool upon or in the water. Most plastic meshwill exhibit a tendency to sink in the water and it is desirable ifpossible that the cover be maintained near or just below the waterlevel. in order to support the mid-portions of the cover, we may attachto the latter suitable floats 32 of cork or other material, the floatsfunctioning as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 to maintain the mesh body ofthe cover over its major area close to the water level. These floats 32may be attached for example as shown in Fig. 4 wherein the mesh materialof the cover is shown folded over on itself to afford an intermediateband composed of a plurality of thicknesses of the material, the folddesignated the the by the reference numeral 26 being retained by meansof suitable stitching 27. In this case, it is preferable to employ snapfasteners 28 which may be of conventional form comprising a two-partbase 1--2 clamped together against the opposite faces of the multiplelayer band, the upper part 2 having the button 3 which snaps detachablyin the third part 4 of the fastener. The part 4 has a bail 5 which isconnected by a link 6 to the float body 32. Where the cover is composedof strips of the mesh material sewed or otherwise attached at theiredges, the overlapping or interfolded edge portions of the cover at theseam may be used for reception of the floats 32. Obviously other ways ormeans are available for attaching floats to the cover. These floats notonly function in the respect noted above to support the cover on thesurface of the water but also materially simplify the manipulation ofthe cover in putting the cover in place and removing it from the pool.This simplification arises in part in the transfer of the dead weight ofthe cover to the floats and the Water so that the manipulation of theedge portions in applying the suction cups is substantially free fromstrain.

The function of the tiles 13 in this device is an important one. Suctioncups of the type used are rela tively ineffective and subject topremature separation from rough or unsmooth surfaces. The tile affordsthe flat, hard and impervious surface to which the suction cup may beapplied with assurance that there will be no gradual leakage of air orwater into the suction chamber of the cup. The cup, therefore, when onceproperly applied will remain in place indefinitely and will resist heavystrains tending to separate it from the tile surface. It should be notedthat other means than tile may be used to afford a surface suitable forreception of the suction cups. Glass might be used for ex ample; and insome instances where the character of the wall surface permits, asuperficial coating of enamel 4 or other material affording the requiredhard smooth surface may be used.

It will be noted that the strains imposed upon the cups by the cover arein a plane substantially normal to the surface of the tile to which thecup adheres and have no material tendency to displace the cup in theplane of the tile surface. It will be noted also that this method ofattaching the cover is particularly well suited to cov ers and pools ofirregular or curved contours in that the strain of supporting the coverat any point on its periphery is in the normal direction referred toabove so that the cups will operate at maximum efficiency about theentire periphery. It will be apparent that the device confines the coverentirely within the limits of the side walls of the pool therebyeffecting a maximum conservation of cover material and also precludingpassage of insects and dirt under the edges of the cover and into thepool. In this respect, the loops 20 previously described afford a highlyeffective sealing of the joint between the peripheral edge of the coverand the side surfaces of the pool structure.

The cover readily accommodates itself to accessory devices in the pool,such as the ladder structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. When, as iscustomary, the uprights 33 and 34 of the ladder between which the treadsextend and upon which the said treads are supported, are only slightlyremoved from the wall surface. the edge of the cover, indicated in Fig.5 by the broken lines 36, will pass readily around the uprights asillustrated. Fig. 5 also shows the edge 36 of the cover passing aroundthe skimmer inlet pipe 37 which in present instance is located inproximity to the ladder. The open space between the wall and the edge ofthe cover left by this deflection of the covers edge 36, is effectivelyclosed in the present instance by a flap the wall-bordering edge 39 ofwhich may have the same structural form as the edge of the main coverdescribed above. This flap which is secured at its ends to the edge ofthe primary cover at the opposite ends respectively of the deflectedportion 36 of the latter, by means for example of the retaining screws41 and 42 of the suction cups 43 and 44 respectively, and which also hasattached to its edge 39 additional suction cups 45, 46 and 47 by meansof which the edge of the flap may be attached to the wall of theswimming pool as described above, has recesses 48 and 49 extendingoutwardly from and through the edge portion 39 in positions to embracethe uprights 33 and 34 of the ladder, as well as an aperture 51 forreception of the head of the skimmer 37 as illustrated. The edges of therecesses 48, 49 and of the aperture 51 are bound in the same manner asthe wall-adjoining edge 39 of the flap, and each of the recesses 48 and49 is also provided with an individual small flap or tab, 52 and 53respectively, secured to one side edge of the recess and adapted toextend across the latter between the uprights 33 and 34 and theproximate wall surface so as to effectively close the recess. Theopposite edges of the recesses and the free ends of the tabs areprovided with snap fasteners indicated by the reference numerals 54 bymeans of which the tabs may be secured in recess-closing position. Flaps55 and 56 are also provided at the outer ends of the recesses 48 and 49and on the edge portion 39 of the main flap 38 so as to close the gapsformed by recesses 48, 49 in the said edge portion, and these flaps maybe detachably secured in operative position also by means of suitablesnap fasteners 57.

The fiap structure 38 is of primary use during the seasons of the yearwhen the swimming pool is in use and during which period the ladder andthe skimmerdevices are installed in the pool. During the other periodsof the year when the pool is not in use the ladder and skimmer arecustomarily removed, and at that time also the flap structure 38 may beremoved from the cover and the edge of the latter then secured to thewall surface over the entire periphery of the cover.

It may under some circumstances and more particularly during the wintermonths be desirable to supplement or replace the suction cups describedabove by other means for anchoring the edge of the cover in place at theedge of the pool. A device of this character is illustrated in Figs. 6and 7 of the drawings. In this instance straps 58 of resilient metal areprovided which are designed to closely and tightly embrace the roundedupper edge of the coping 11. The outer end of the strap 58 is providedwith a terminal hook 59 which is engaged in a suitably formed groove inthe upper surface of the pool edge as illustrated in Fig. 6. The other,rounded end 6.1 of the strap closely and resiliently embraces thesurface of the coping as illustrated and is provided near its extremityand at the underside of the coping with a hook 62. This hook forms ananchor for a loop 63 extending upwardly from the peripheral edge of thecover, and in the present instance this loop is shown as secured to theedge of the cover by the same screw 23 which secures the suction cup tothe cover edge as described above. One of these loops may be provided ateach suction cup position or at intermediate positions if desired and insaid intermediate positions may be secured by suitable screws in thegroin mets provided at the edge of the cover as also described above. Ifdesired, the suction cups may be detached and the entire coversupporting function be imposed upon the straps 58 and loops 63.

The cover described above is subject to modification without departurefrom the principle of the invention. The cover, for example, may consistonly in part of the mesh fabric, the remainder being of solid sheetmaterial and the mesh portions being located, for example, in positionsto expose for inspection certain portions of the interior of the pool.The mesh fabric may be composed also of metallic, organic or other basestrands coated with or embraced by a protective envelope of syntheticplastic composition.

We claim:

1. A swimming pool cover conforming in size and shape to the area at thetop of the pool, means at the peripheral edge of said cover forattaching said edge to an inner surface of the side wall of the pool,said attaching means comprising a peripheral series of resilient suctioncups attached to the edge of the cover, and a peripheral flap on saidcover projecting beyond the points of attachment of said suction cups tothe cover and exceeding in width the axial dimension of said cups.

2. A swimming pool cover according to claim 1 wherein the cover materialconsists of mesh fabric.

3. A swimming pool cover according to claim 2 wherein the componentstrands of the mesh fabric are of synthetic plastic composition.

4. A swimming pool cover according to claim 3 wherein the peripheraledge portion of the cover is provided with grommets and wherein furtherthe suction cups are secured to the cover by means of anchoring screwsextending through said grommets.

5. In combination a swimming pool having side walls, a ladder havinguprights extending into the pool adjacent a side wall of the latter, acover adapted to overlie the area of the pool between the walls of thelatter, means for securing the edge of the cover to said Walls with thesaid edge deflected inwardly and around the ladder, and a primary flapdetachably secured to the cover and closing the space between thedeflected part of the cover edge and the proximate wall surface, saidprimary flap having recesses extending from an edge thereof forreception of the ladder uprights, supplemental flaps for closing therecesses after admission of the uprights, and means for securing theedge of the primary flap to the wall of the pool.

6. in combination, a swimming pool having upright walls with a bandforming a part thereof, said band being made of a smooth hard imperviousmaterial adjacent the top of the pool and extending around the peripheryof the pool; a flexible cover for the pool dimensioned and shaped toconform to the area and contour of the pool to lie entirely Within theconfines of said walls; suction cups whose bases are secured to theperipheral edge portions of said cover and projecting'beyond said edgeportions and adapted to be secured by vacuum suction to said bandthereby to support the cover stretched over the pool; and a peripheralflexible flap continuously attached to the edges of the cover andoverlying the suction cups and arranged for contact with the walls ofthe pool above the suction cups and having sufiicient area to close thespace between the edges of the cover and the upright walls of the pool.

7. A swimming pool and cover combination according to claim 6 whereinthe swimming pool has a shoulder extending substantially horizontallyinwardly above said band and arranged to overlie the outer edge of saidflap.

8. In combination, a swimming pool having top edges and. side walls; aflexible cover adapted to overlie the pool between said walls and to lieentirely within the confines of the pool; and means for securing saidcover in operative position comprising resilient straps embracing thetop edges of the pool and detachably secured thereto at spaced points toprovide load-carrying supports, and flexible strap-engaging elementssecured to the edges of said cover, said straps having complementarymeans for engagement by said elements.

9. In combination, a swimming pool having side walls; a flexible coveradapted to lie over the pool entirely within the confines thereof; meanssecured to the cover and attachable to said .side walls for maintainingthe cover stretched in pool-protecting position between said Walls, saidmeans projecting beyond the edges of the cover, so that there is a spacebetween said edges and said walls; and interengaging complementary meansrespectively on said walls above the Water level of the pool andprojecting from the peripheral edges of said cover for substantiallysealing the spaces between said walls and said edges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,393,907 Reimer Oct. 18, 1921 2,161,766 Rugely et al June 6, 19392,517,393 Law Aug. 1, 1950 2,580,555 Kroeger Jan. 1, 1952 2,608,250Meyer Aug. 26, 1952 2,612,947 Jenks Oct. 7, 1952 2,646,118 Berty July21, 1953 2,754,900 Karobonik et al. July 17, 1956

